Ah...yep, I was was wrong there. Though still much later than the Apple/A11...2017 vs 2021.
What the article says on this topic:
"The process of eliminating 32-bit and optimizing for the 64-bit ISA exclusively has been a 2-step process. With the Cortex-X2, the underlying circuitry used for handling 32-bit architectural-related elements was removed, saving on transistors and simplifying some structures. With the new Cortex-X3, the design team took the time to start optimizing specifically for AArch64."
What the article says on this topic:
"The process of eliminating 32-bit and optimizing for the 64-bit ISA exclusively has been a 2-step process. With the Cortex-X2, the underlying circuitry used for handling 32-bit architectural-related elements was removed, saving on transistors and simplifying some structures. With the new Cortex-X3, the design team took the time to start optimizing specifically for AArch64."